Hygiene for Tropical Nights

The tropical nights, temperature over 20 degree, lingers on.

The lack of sleep due to the tropical night causes slackness, headaches, and indigestion.

The comfortable temperature to sleep is known to be about 20 degree. The temperature over 20 degree stimulates the central nerve system, which may disturb the sound sleep or the REM Sleep.

The recommendations for a sound sleep are as follows. Do light exercise in the evening but do not exercise right before sleep. Take a shower with warm water before going to bed. Do not drink too much water during evening. Drink a glass of warm milk when hungry. Avoid Cigarettes, Coffee, Alcohol, Chocolate, and Sodas. Wake up at a regular time to keep the normal `bio-clock` even after a disturbed sleep.

20-30 minutes nap after lunch is good for the make-up of the disturbed sleep but over 30 minutes sleep may cause insomnia.

Dr. Song Yoon-Mee, professor of Sungkyunkwan Univ. Medical School, said that ``when the air conditioner is on for more than an hour, the in-door humidity decreases 30-40 percent and the mucous membrane dries out, which eventually increases the possibility of catching a cold. Temperature that is too low may cause cold or the air-conditioningitis.``

When sleeping with the fan on, leave a window open to prevent the low body temperature and the suffocation. In addition, chronic lung-related patients, children, and the old or the weak should not expose themselves to the wind.

Scorching days and tropical nights linger on these days. Take a break from time to time at a cool place and drink lots of water. In the mid summer, 10 glasses of water (1.5 - 2 liter) per day is required for an average person. Too much water at one sitting may cause a decrease of appetite. Then drink just a little amount of water at a time, but drink it frequently.

Lee Seong-Ju stein33@donga.com